After spending about a week in Bora Bora, my husband and I flew back to the main island of Tahiti for our next adventure. Like I said in the first honeymoon post, we decided to make it a bucket list trip, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was near the top of the list. Truthfully, this wasn’t our initial plan. After telling some friends about our Bora Bora plans, they brought up extending our trip since we’d already have flown halfway around the world to get to Bora Bora. What an incredible idea!! We looked at a few maps later that night and realized that Rapa Nui was surprisingly close to Bora Bora. Not only that, but there is a direct flight from Tahiti to Rapa Nui, albeit only once a week. We could make it work!
We struggled initially in the planning stages, there aren’t many sites that have a lot to offer about planning to visit Rapa Nui. We ran into some challenges finding a travel agent that could help us as well. It turns out, not many people actually make it to Rapa Nui each year. The entire island is approximately the size of Washington, D.C., and though tourism is their number one economic provider, there aren’t a ton of places to stay either. Thankfully, we were finally put in touch with a great travel agent that locked down our travel, hotel, and excursions within a week of first speaking with us. I’m not sure we could have pulled this trip off without her!
Having learned a few lessons in Bora Bora, I felt a little better prepared when we touched down in Rapa Nui. Although the flight was a red eye, LAN Chile really took care of me and had prepared gluten free meals and snacks each time they served food to the other passengers. This may not seem like such a big deal, but I frequently have to ask for a gluten free snack on international flights. While airlines are great about getting gluten free meals, they tend to forget about the snacks. When we arrived at our hotel, the Altiplanico, we were armed with a Spanish pocket dictionary (I suggest the Berlitz Phrase Book & Dictionary for any language) which informed me that my key phrase of the week would be “sin glooten.” Thanks to our travel agent, the hotel had already been made aware of my dietary needs, and they were prepared to help me order from their menu.
To my delight, Rapa Nui restaurants were full of fresh fish dishes based on their catch of the day. The locals were incredibly friendly people, that were very happy to work with our struggling Spanish, and understood what “sin glooten” meant! Thankfully, I never once felt as though I’d been even the slightest bit cross-contaminated. While we were there, we visited two restaurants more than once because we truly enjoyed their food and surroundings so much. Although I can’t remember exactly what each of the meals were, I can share with you my thoughts on the restaurants, and a few pictures of my favorite meals from our trip.
Catch of the day from the Altiplanico hotel with mushroom risotto
Fresh ceviche, served in a conch shell with a side of rice
Kuki Varua: This restaurant was located just on the edge of the water in Hanga Roa. The location was great for people watching, sunsets, and enjoying the island mentality. We found ourselves here a few times, each visit staying for a longer period of time, and drinking in our surroundings. Great for their catch of the day offerings and surprising local side dishes (green mashed potatoes and purple potato chips!), I enjoyed every single bite at the Kuki Varua.
Seared and salted tuna with green mashed potatoes (Kuki Varua)
Same meal, different day…yes it was that good! (Kuki Varua)
Hetu’u Restaurant: We stumbled upon this gem while we were walking through the downtown area (Hanga Roa). The service was very quick, and though they did not have many tables, they certainly seemed to be a more popular spot. The menu was incredibly diverse, and thankfully included pictures which helped with the language barrier. The restaurant also had a nice sized wine cellar, which I have to say really drew me in!
White fish in peanut sauce with a side of potato chips (Hetu’u)
White fish in caper sauce, side of potato chips (Hetu’u)
Celiac Suitcase 